Samsung are about to announce a Galaxy tablet running Android but with Intel inside. And while it is a victory for the US chip goliath, it's also one which could prove pyrrhic given the large amount of cash Intel will have to cough.
Samsung has booked a London launch for 20 June, with new Windows tablets expected but not …

Re: New OS

Re: New OS

Actually, I agree with this.

I *need* a new tablet. But I want proper multi-user (apps available to all users and only installed once). If I can avoid the windows tax and still install windows (or a decent touch ready Linux) then I'll be laughing.

Re: New OS

Re: Android and multi-user

Android supports multi-user by partitioning the whole machine up. That 32GB tablet becomes 2x16GB tablets, basically, or 4x8GB. You have to install apps multiple times for each account and the DRM ensures that you can't run a paid app on the wrong account, even if it's on the same device. Not really a good solution.

Re: What about the apps?

I'm assuming this will have the on-the-fly binary translation

'cept where this doesn't work. I'm typing this on my San Diego, but I'm having to use Dolphin instead of Chrome because G00gle borked Chrome on Intel Android with their last release and it hasn't worked since, and the iPlayer app has never worked at all...

You can bet that if the story is true Samsung are getting a very good deal from Intel (possibly chips at cost price) as since Samsung has its own fab for baking ARM SOC's it would have to be cheaper to go to Intel than making them themselves

Or...

R&D and production costs for ARM and Intel based tablets is too high, so building one generic base, upon which you install the relevant OS, like they and HTC did with smartphones for years (the early htc and Samsung phones were effectively the same hardware, with slightly different cases and either WIndows Mobile, Android or Windows Phone installed.

Galaxy Tab = no longer flagship

Android needs to be platform agnostic

Android needs to fix the NDK so devs can output LLVM bitcode binaries as well as those targeted to ARM, Intel or MIPS architectures. That way a single app can target all platforms instead of just some of them.

I really don't understand why they haven't done this. LLVM has crept into Android 3.0+ via RenderScript so some of the prerequisite framework for this is already there and it would be hugely beneficial for game development.

Probably not just one Samsung product.

Samsung offer Intel a major in for putting Atom into such products as smart TVs, set-top boxes, etc., and I bet Intel is taking the view that those sixty engineers are driving the tablet as the thin edge of the wedge into as many Samsung product ranges as Intel can manage.